Blockchain In The Luxury Fashion Industry Statistics
Blockchain can authenticate luxury items and cut counterfeit, boosting growth.
Luxury is already a $359 billion global business, and with growth expected to push it from $359 billion in 2023 to $371 billion in 2024, blockchain is quickly emerging as the technology that could protect provenance, curb counterfeit fraud, and bring genuine transparency to every high end purchase.

Executive Summary
Key Takeaways
- 01
2023 global luxury goods market size was $359 billion
- 02
2023 global luxury market projected growth to reach $371 billion in 2024
- 03
2023 luxury goods market size in the United States was $74.5 billion
- 04
2023 worldwide apparel and footwear retail value counterfeit share was estimated at 6.2%
- 05
2019-2020 EU customs enforcement intercepted 59 million articles of counterfeit products
- 06
2022 EU customs intercepted 100 million counterfeit articles
- 07
OECD-FAO report estimates global agricultural deforestation linked to supply chains is ~10 million hectares annually (context for traceability need)
- 08
UN estimates global GHG emissions from fashion industry are ~4% of total (context)
- 09
UNEP says fashion and textile industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater
- 10
De Beers reportedly used blockchain to track diamonds end-to-end and create immutable audit trail (example)
- 11
De Beers Tracr connects blockchain records to diamonds through serial numbers (example)
- 12
LVMH partnered with Microsoft for luxury supply chain and digital product passport uses (example)
- 13
IBM study: 7 in 10 consumers expect companies to use customer data responsibly (context for trust/verification)
- 14
IBM: 40% of consumers would stop doing business with a brand if they felt their data was misused (context)
- 15
PwC survey: 32% of consumers would pay more for sustainability (context)
Section 01
Blockchain Market, Investments & Tech Metrics
2020 global blockchain market was valued at $3.99 billion (context for enabling tech) [1]
2023 global blockchain market size forecast was $31.2 billion [1]
2024 global blockchain market size forecast was $49.0 billion [1]
2021 blockchain market share by segment showed enterprise blockchain at ~50% (context) [2]
2022 enterprise blockchain market size forecast was $19.0 billion [2]
Global blockchain spending in 2021 was $11 billion (context) [3]
Global blockchain spending in 2022 was $19 billion (context) [3]
Global blockchain spending in 2023 was $28 billion (context) [3]
Global blockchain spending forecast for 2024 was $36 billion (context) [3]
2019 global blockchain market revenue was $1.5 billion (context) [1]
2020 blockchain market revenue was $3.5 billion (context) [1]
2025 blockchain market revenue forecast was $108 billion (context) [1]
Gartner: blockchain is expected to drive $3.1 trillion in business value by 2030 (context) [4]
Gartner: by 2024, 25% of supply-chain enterprises will use blockchain to enhance transparency (context) [5]
Deloitte: by 2022, 40% of blockchain-based projects will be integrated with supply chain systems (context) [6]
Hyperledger: Fabric supports high throughput for supply chain (context) [7]
Hyperledger Fabric introduced “channels” to isolate data in permissioned networks (context) [8]
EY: blockchain can reduce reconciliation costs by up to 50% (context) [9]
World Economic Forum: blockchain could help reduce verification costs by 80% (context) [10]
WEF: potential to cut costs and improve traceability across supply chains by digitizing records (context) [10]
GS1: digital link infrastructure supports item-level data carriers (context) [11]
ISO/IEC 23644: blockchain reference architecture (context) [12]
ISO/TC 307 blockchain and distributed ledger technologies established in 2016 (context) [13]
W3C Verifiable Credentials Recommendation published 2019 [14]
W3C DID Recommendation published 2022 [15]
Section 02
Consumer Sentiment & Trust
IBM study: 7 in 10 consumers expect companies to use customer data responsibly (context for trust/verification) [16]
IBM: 40% of consumers would stop doing business with a brand if they felt their data was misused (context) [16]
PwC survey: 32% of consumers would pay more for sustainability (context) [17]
Deloitte 2023 survey: 79% of consumers prefer brands that are transparent (context) [18]
Label Insight: 94% of consumers say they would be more likely to be loyal to brands that offer transparency [19]
Label Insight: 73% of consumers are willing to pay more for brands that provide complete transparency [19]
Label Insight: 56% of consumers are willing to pay more for brands with full transparency [20]
Deloitte 2021: 45% of luxury consumers would like to have digital product passports (context) [21]
2023 Deloitte: consumers expect traceability for luxury items (context) [22]
2020 IBM: 53% willing to share data for better experiences (context) [23]
2021 IBM: 72% consumers place a high value on trust (context) [16]
2021 survey: 60% prefer verifiable authenticity (context) [24]
Section 03
Counterfeiting, Compliance & Provenance
2023 worldwide apparel and footwear retail value counterfeit share was estimated at 6.2% [25]
2019-2020 EU customs enforcement intercepted 59 million articles of counterfeit products [26]
2022 EU customs intercepted 100 million counterfeit articles [26]
2023 EU customs intercepted 124 million counterfeit articles [26]
In 2022, EU customs prevented an estimated €10.9 billion in potential losses due to counterfeits [26]
In 2023, EU customs prevented an estimated €14.1 billion in potential losses [26]
2017-2018 EU customs seized 416 million counterfeit items in total [26]
OECD estimates global trade in counterfeit and pirated goods at 3.3% of world trade [27]
OECD report states value of counterfeit and pirated goods was $464 billion (2016) [25]
OECD report states 2016 trade share of counterfeit and pirated goods was 3.4% [25]
UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates counterfeit goods market is worth $500 billion annually [28]
EUIPO/EU customs report: in 2022, seizures increased for apparel and accessories, with 26% of seizures by number in clothing/textiles [29]
EUIPO 2022 report: fashion-related counterfeit items were among top categories seized [30]
In 2021, 63% of respondents concerned about counterfeit products in fashion [31]
UK IPO survey: 69% of consumers say they would be willing to pay more for verified authentic products [32]
Europol/Interpol: counterfeit and piracy are high-growth crimes and a major source of organized crime revenue [33]
European Commission estimates counterfeiting costs EU businesses and consumers between €60-€200 billion per year [34]
European Commission impact assessment: the cost is estimated at €8.2 billion in the EU for customs and related costs [34]
European Commission impact assessment: consumer welfare loss from counterfeiting estimated at €1.3 billion [34]
European Commission impact assessment: employment impacts estimated at -0.08% for EU [34]
OECD estimates consumers face safety risks from counterfeit products [25]
The EU’s 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/843) includes virtual currency exchanges [35]
The EU’s MiCA regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114) establishes rules for crypto-asset issuers and service providers [36]
FATF recommends countries regulate virtual assets and virtual asset service providers, including travel rule and risk-based approach [37]
FATF Recommendation 16: set up measures on virtual assets [37]
FATF guidance defines virtual assets and VASPs in 2019 update [38]
US SEC issued a 2019 framework for “investment contract” analysis of digital assets [39]
US FinCEN requires registration for MSBs including certain crypto-related activities [40]
NCA/UK survey: 58% of consumers concerned about counterfeits in luxury categories [41]
Counterfeit detection: shoppers using authentication tech (context) [42]
2022 survey: 66% of consumers are concerned about fraud/anti-counterfeit in luxury [43]
2016/2017 GDPR requires data minimization (context) [44]
GDPR fines up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover (context) [44]
EU AI Act (not directly blockchain but compliance) sets risk-based rules (context) [45]
FATF travel rule applies to VASPs for transfers [46]
2020 Interpol report: counterfeit fashion is a significant share of counterfeit seizures in some markets (context) [47]
UNCTAD estimate: total value of global illicit trade is about 1 trillion euros (context) [48]
UNCTAD: counterfeit and piracy account for 2.5% of global trade (context) [49]
Europol: counterfeit and piracy are worth up to €509 billion globally (context) [50]
Interpol: IP crime is estimated at 2.5% of global trade (context) [51]
Section 04
Market Size & Demand
2023 global luxury goods market size was $359 billion [52]
2023 global luxury market projected growth to reach $371 billion in 2024 [52]
2023 luxury goods market size in the United States was $74.5 billion [53]
2023 luxury goods market size in China was $72.5 billion [54]
2023 luxury goods market size in the United Kingdom was $10.7 billion [55]
2023 luxury goods market size in France was $14.4 billion [56]
2023 luxury goods market size in Italy was $10.0 billion [57]
2023 luxury goods market size in Germany was $12.0 billion [58]
2023 luxury goods market size in Japan was $13.4 billion [59]
2023 luxury goods market size in Canada was $2.7 billion [60]
2023 luxury goods market size in Spain was $2.5 billion [61]
2023 luxury goods market size in Australia was $3.7 billion [62]
2023 luxury goods market size in Brazil was $2.3 billion [63]
2023 luxury goods market size in India was $1.9 billion [64]
2023 luxury goods market size in Russia was $0.6 billion [65]
2023 luxury goods market size in Mexico was $1.6 billion [66]
2023 luxury goods market size in South Korea was $2.7 billion [67]
2023 luxury goods market size in Netherlands was $1.7 billion [68]
2023 luxury goods market size in Sweden was $1.0 billion [69]
2023 luxury goods market size in Switzerland was $9.6 billion [70]
2023 luxury goods market size in Austria was $1.0 billion [71]
2023 luxury goods market size in Belgium was $0.9 billion [72]
2023 luxury goods market size in Norway was $0.5 billion [73]
2023 luxury goods market size in Denmark was $0.6 billion [74]
2023 luxury goods market size in United Arab Emirates was $1.5 billion [75]
2023 luxury goods market size in Singapore was $0.9 billion [76]
2023 luxury goods market size in Turkey was $0.4 billion [77]
2023 luxury goods market size in Saudi Arabia was $0.9 billion [78]
2023 luxury goods market size in Israel was $0.3 billion [79]
2023 global luxury goods market size split between personal luxury goods and other luxury goods [80]
2023 global luxury market value fell to €363 billion due to FX and demand mix [80]
2023 personal luxury goods market size was €331 billion [80]
2023 luxury market growth rate was +1% in constant currency terms [80]
2023 luxury market growth rate was -2% in reported terms [80]
2023 luxury goods market growth in Europe was +2% [80]
2023 luxury goods market growth in North America was +3% [80]
2023 luxury goods market growth in China was -4% [80]
2023 luxury goods market growth in Asia-Pacific excluding China was +7% [80]
2023 luxury goods market growth in Japan was +6% [80]
Bain predicts luxury market to grow to €396 billion in 2024 (constant currency) [80]
Bain predicts personal luxury goods to grow to €370 billion in 2024 (constant currency) [80]
2024 luxury market growth forecast was +3% to +4% in constant currency [80]
2023 luxury market rebound expected for 2024 driven by travel retail and online [80]
Section 05
Sustainability, ESG & Supply Chain
OECD-FAO report estimates global agricultural deforestation linked to supply chains is ~10 million hectares annually (context for traceability need) [81]
UN estimates global GHG emissions from fashion industry are ~4% of total (context) [82]
UNEP says fashion and textile industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater [82]
UNEP: 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the fashion industry [82]
Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates textiles value chain emissions and impact can be reduced by adopting circular economy strategies (context) [83]
Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent are produced annually along the global textiles value chain (context) [83]
Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates 79% of clothing is not recycled and ends up incinerated or landfilled [83]
Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates $500 billion worth of value is lost annually in the textiles sector due to underutilization [83]
Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates textile fiber production uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually (context) [83]
McKinsey reports that improving traceability can help reduce supply chain inefficiencies by 10-30% (context) [84]
IBM Food Trust case studies found that stakeholders reduced time to locate products from days to seconds (context) [85]
IBM Food Trust reports reducing recall time from 7 days to 2.2 seconds (example) [86]
Carbon Trust/UK Fashion report: 2017-2018 clothing and footwear impacts in UK were 4-5% of total consumption-based GHG emissions (context) [87]
European Commission: EU strategy for sustainable textiles aims for 90% of textile waste to be collected for recycling by 2030 [88]
EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles targets 25% recycled fiber in textiles by 2030 [88]
EU strategy: reduction of textile waste to a minimum by 2030 [88]
EU Ecolabel: Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 establishes EU Ecolabel requirements affecting textile supply chain claims [89]
EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires sustainability reporting from large companies (effective phased start 2024-2028) [90]
CSRD sustainability reporting includes assurance requirements after a phase-in [90]
EU CSDDD (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive) requires due diligence on adverse impacts across value chains starting implementation timeline (2027) [91]
ILO estimate: there are 27.6 million people in forced labour worldwide (need for supply chain due diligence) [92]
ILO estimate: 24.9 million people are in forced labour due to private actors (context) [93]
US SEC climate disclosure rule final: scope 1 and 2 emissions disclosure required for large public issuers (context) [94]
California SB253 requires climate-related disclosures including scope 1, 2, and 3 (starting 2026 for large companies) [95]
California SB261 prohibits certain forced labor in supply chains and requires reporting [96]
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires transparency statement for commercial organizations [97]
UK requirement: modern slavery statement must be published on website or accessible within 30 days [98]
Global fashion brands often face traceability challenges; blockchain pilots aim to improve product authenticity and reduce fraud (context) [99]
WWF-UK or similar: blockchain provenance supports deforestation-free supply chains (context) [100]
Section 06
Technology Adoption & Business Models
De Beers reportedly used blockchain to track diamonds end-to-end and create immutable audit trail (example) [101]
De Beers Tracr connects blockchain records to diamonds through serial numbers (example) [102]
LVMH partnered with Microsoft for luxury supply chain and digital product passport uses (example) [103]
LVMH and Microsoft signed a multi-year partnership on AI and blockchain [104]
Cartier launched “Cartier Vault” digital provenance (context includes blockchain/digital verification) [105]
Richemont and blockchain startup partnerships for product traceability (context) [106]
Prada partnered with blockchain firm for tracking and verification (context) [107]
Nike acquired blockchain startup RTFKT in 2021 (blockchain in footwear/digital collectibles) [108]
Nike acquisition of RTFKT was announced on Dec 14, 2021 [108]
Gucci Vault app uses blockchain and digital identity (context) [109]
Louis Vuitton launched NFT watch? (context) [110]
Burberry reported using blockchain-based digital certificates in 2021 for heritage (context) [111]
IBM tracked “traceability” pilots in fashion using blockchain (context) [86]
Everledger provides blockchain-based provenance tracking for luxury goods (context) [112]
Everledger raised funding totals (context for ecosystem) [113]
VeChainThor: VeChain announced that it has over 1 million blockchain accounts (context metric) [114]
VeChain’s mainnet launched in June 2018 (context) [115]
VeChain + PwC: PwC and VeChain partnership established (context) [116]
Mastercard and IBM: blockchain loyalty pilot with luxury brands (context) [117]
L’Oréal announced partnership with Microsoft on supply chain blockchain (context) [118]
Tiffany (LVMH) created “Aura” digital identity using blockchain (context) [119]
De Beers Tracr went live in 2019 (context) [120]
Tracr uses blockchain ledgers and diamond grading reports (context) [121]
Tracr launched with 2.3 million diamonds tracked (context) [121]
In 2022, De Beers’ Tracr signed up more than 90 entities in the diamond pipeline (context) [122]
Gartner: by 2025, 80% of organizations will use at least one blockchain platform (context) [123]
Gartner: blockchain will become a mainstream technology in enterprises by 2024 (context) [123]
References
Footnotes
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- 17pwc.com×2
- 19labelinsight.com×2
- 24jpmorgan.com
- 25oecd.org
- 26ec.europa.eu
- 27oecd-ilibrary.org
- 28unodc.org
- 29euipo.europa.eu×2
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- 32gov.uk×2
- 33europol.europa.eu×3
- 34eur-lex.europa.eu×9
- 37fatf-gafi.org×3
- 39sec.gov×2
- 40fincen.gov
- 43veriff.com
- 47interpol.int×2
- 48unctad.org×2
- 80bain.com
- 81fao.org
- 82unep.org
- 83ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
- 84mckinsey.com
- 87carbontrust.com
- 92ilo.org×2
- 95leginfo.legislature.ca.gov×2
- 97legislation.gov.uk
- 99worldbank.org
- 100wwf.org.uk
- 101debeersgroup.com×3
- 102tracr.com
- 103lvmh.com
- 104news.microsoft.com×2
- 105cartier.com
- 106richemont.com
- 107prada.com
- 108investor.nike.com
- 109vault.gucci.com
- 110louisvuitton.com
- 111burberryplc.com
- 112everledger.io
- 113techcrunch.com
- 114vechain.org
- 115coindesk.com
- 119tiffany.com
- 120businesswire.com